Background Noise
by Whovian-Shitsuji
Summary: A simple joke goes awry when our lovable Undertaker visits the Library one day.
1. Chapter 1

The shifting of papers and distant echoes of footsteps in the surrounding hallways were the usual sounds that penetrated William T. Spears's office walls. This background noise, though bothersome, was quite easy to put in the back of one's mind. It was like something lost behind the couch. You know it's there, but you forget at the same time.  
Thus it was yet another dull day. It had started out with the usual blaring alarm jerking William from his bed with a rough hand. This, of course, followed by tea and toast that was cold by the time he finished with his shower and a short walk downstairs from the upper apartments to where the offices were. His was at the end of the main hallway, twenty feet away from the nearest door on each side. This made evening coming near his door…formidable.  
It had a seemed the usual day and yet…something was off. It was getting louder behind the proverbial couch. This William could not ignore as he lifted his head from amid the stacks of paperwork in front of him and flanking each side of the desk. It was always an unending mountain that even he could barely keep down by the end of each day.  
The footsteps stalled outside his door and were joined by a light tapping on the blurred glass. Several possibilities of who it could be flitted through his mind. 'If it's Sutcliff, I swear I'll have him hanged,' he thought. The red menace was the only one who would visit his office on a regular basis. After several years the fool still refused to catch on that William did not like him. At all. End of story.  
"Come in," William said with a resigned sigh. He had no time to deal with whoever it was. And so help whatever secretary would bring him more paperwork…  
"You don't sound so happy~," the oddly giggly voice said as the door creaked open. "Don't you like me anymore?" And so walked in the old legend that William had long admired and strove to match in efficiency. He who had reaped the souls of Marie Antoinette and Robin Hood, he who was once great, was now a giggling mess of silver hair and black robes. Undertaker.  
"I did not realize who it was," William said calmly. "You don't know how many times a day Sutcliff insists on bothering me." The old reaper grinned and plopped down onto the black leather sofa that was against the wall opposite the desk.  
"Put a lock on your door!"  
"I tried. He broke it and got the expense taken from his paycheck."  
"He's like a pup!" Undertaker said, voice dripping with laughter barely held back. Of course that's how he always sounded. "Just wants to impress his older siblings!"  
"Then he likes incest."  
The mental wall Undertaker must have been holding broke apart and he was on his back on the couch, soon tumbling off and onto the floor. William picked up the hat that had rolled over and brushed it off, handing off to Undertaker.  
"Ehehehe…" Undertaker was out of laughs and out of breath. For the moment. "Do you reaaaaaaaly want him to stop?"  
"Why wouldn't I?" William countered, his brow twitching upwards with mild interest.  
"I have an ideeeeaaaaaa~" Undertaker stumbled to his feet and skipped over like a two year old going after a lollipop…complete with the juvenile grin. "What if he saw us…like thiiiiis~" He promptly wrapped an arm around William's shoulder and let his other hand find its way into William's shirt.  
The usual stone faced reaper's cheeks flooded bright pink. "I…will have nothing of this," he said, barely managing not to stammer. But as he tried to pull away, Undertaker pushed him down into his seat, calmly straddling him with an ever growing grin.  
"But you seem to like it!"  
"I. Do. Not."  
"It might work-"  
Again the door swung open. "Oh Wiiiiilllllu~!"  
"Oh God…"  
It seemed to be perfect timing with the entrance of Grell Sutcliff. His face was plastered with the usual makeup and his heels clicked against the marble floor. But that clicking stopped when Grell went dead silent, frozen by the scene in front of him.  
"…I'm sorry, Mr. Spears," he whispered in a new, grave voice. "I didn't…I didn't know you were busy…" Tears already welled in Grell's eyes as he turned and ran out the door. Uncontrollable sobs now joined the background noise that was now unbearable.  
"Get off of me," William said harshly and Undertaker did so immediately. He silently adjusted his spectacles and went off down the hallway after Grell, leaving the elder reaper to his giggling mess.  
"Told you it would work!"


	2. Chapter 2

Behind William the maniacal cackling of the madman known as Undertaker resounded through the hall. This idiot is what was now sending this well known and respected reaper running from his office. And, as he had never thought would happen, after a certain red head that most days was the cause for him locking himself away behind that mahogany door.  
Upon entering William T. Spears' office, Grell Sutcliffe had been faced with a sight that haunted him as a deep, passionate fear; the one he loved in the arms of another.  
'That old disgusting mortician,' Grell wailed in his mind, tears now beginning to soak his rouged cheeks. 'Of all people!'  
This was the worst betrayal to him. Though he and William had never been close, he had always hoped that perhaps someday they could...but no. Those dreams had been dashed across the floor, like a dirty streak of mud from the wanderer's boot. That's just what his dream was now; dirt, dust, nothing good anymore.  
Grell clearly heard the footsteps chasing after him, the calls of that traitor trying to beckon him back. It was something he would have died for any other day; William calling out to Grell in desperation, for Grell to go to him. But this was caused by the wrong thing. This wasn't cause my some love.  
'He probably just wants to make sure I don't tell anyone about his...his lover!'  
Subsequently, Grell ignored every word William tried to say to him and continued to run, run, run until he had reached the doors of the Library and exited to the human realm. It was raining, the streaks of water pounding against the pavement in an uneven rhythm. The sky was as gray and dark as Grell's heart as he took shelter under the overhang of a small shop, miles away from where he had entered.  
'He never loved you,' came the biting hiss of Truth, a demon nothing like Grell's dear dear Sebastian that lurked within the reaper's memory palace. It went door to door, ripping them open and tearing down every picture that now held a broken dream. It laughed, horribly, loudly, filling up Grell's mind. 'You have fooled yourself for so long, but now I am free!'  
The reaper pressed his hands against the sides of his head, dropping into a crouch.  
'No, no, no,' he begged this new demon. 'Please, don't say these things!'  
'Ahh, but I must.' It picked up a framed photo, another dream in which William embraced Grell, tightly, lovingly, without hesitation. It burst into flames until mere ashes stayed.  
Everything inside his palace was ruined, torn to pieces, as so much of himself was based around William. Oh, how he had dreamed from their first task together that he could win the stoic, impassive, deliciously cold man over. How he dreamed that they could share such a love together.

...

As Grell mourned the loss of love William continued his search. He had abandoned his post, abandoned his work, and for what? To chase this fool across London. His ever trustworthy friend Logic told him it was a waste of time.  
'You ought to stay and work,' Logic said to him, running beside him. 'You know Grell, he will just come back and continue his relentless flirtation.'  
But...this time William set Logic aside. Something else, something he had fought to press down for so many years, had begun to surface. Early on he had deemed her a nuisance, a distraction to his work and his life.  
'Perhaps I have been utterly wrong,' he thought, 'to rely upon Logic alone.'  
'It may be too late for realizing me, William,' she whispered sweetly in his ear. 'You should have answered my knocking years ago.' For the first time since adolescence and the times before his training as a reaper, Passion was allowed inside the forefront of his mind. A thing that he could cling to that was strong enough to make him toss aside Logic.  
'It will not be too late.'

...

Truth ravished Grell's mind. It forced him to go back every single clear memory of his interactions with William, revealing that not once had there ever been a kind remark by him, even a warmness in his eyes that would reveal his inner soul. Nothing. Everything Grell thought he had seen was just that. Thoughts, false memories fabricated to keep his glorious dream intact.  
A pale, hollow shell is what was now left of flamboyant Grell Sutcliffe as he forced himself to his feet. His tears had tried out as he became more and more numb to the sorrow. His legs trembled under his weight as they pushed on without feeling, clicking across the cobblestones as he made his way to a place at which he could return to the Library. That was all he was good for now, wasn't it? Working. He had always been good at his job. A "AAA" student, he had been.  
Even as he began to rip open the portal that would return him to the Library he heard that voice which brought such pain to him now. The portal snapped shut as he turned to see a rain soaked William, his glasses askew and his hair falling in his face. Grell had never seen him in such distress, in such open emotion.  
'He...came to find me...? Maybe...he really cares...'  
'Don't let yourself be mocked,' Truth growled savagely. 'We just went through this.'  
The two watched each other from a short distance, the only noise brought by the rain and claps of thunder in the sky. It was William that made the first move, approaching Grell slowly.  
"Sutcliffe," he said, trying to feign seriousness, "you are not authorized to leave whenever it pleases you."  
"Oh," Grell said softly, a small smile that was almost ironic alighting his face, "that's all you came to tell me. I should have known! I was JUST coming back, so you have no reason to worry!" His voice quickly became bitter and resentful. "I suppose you want to return to your _lover_ now, huh?"  
"Sut-...Grell..." He sighed and removed his glasses. "What you saw was not any intention of my own. I have never been nor want to be intimate with Undertaker. He seemed to think that it was a good idea to make sure you saw that."  
"And why?! So I would stop vying after you?!"  
"Yes. I had told him it annoyed me."  
Silence fell between them again as Grell cast his eyes down, his fists clenching tightly until his nails ripped through his gloves and cut his hands. In a sudden burst of emotion Grell flew at William, punching him hard against the chest as he wept. And...William allowed him to do so, merely backing up when the force of the blows forced him to. Soon exhaustion set into Grell and he fell against William.  
"I-I-I thought we could b-be together," he spluttered. "For s-so long I b-believed...but I j-just annoy you..."  
William gazed down at the mass of red hair and tears that was so weakly pressed against him, allowing himself to truly see Grell for the first time. Every time he had ever been flirted with or hit on by the effeminate reaper he had always felt a twinge in his heart, something that told him that he should allow himself to push past work and ethics and his own professional image. Many times he had merely feigned his annoyance to keep up appearances around his colleagues, though never truly being in any way displeased with the attention. He had...always...enjoyed it. Yet, he never allowed himself to be graced with that realization. Perhaps it wasn't too late to show this. At least, he hoped.  
"Grell," he said softly, brushing the strands of wet hair out of the other reaper's face. "You have never truly annoyed me." The corners of his mouth inched up to create a small smile, a thing that rarely adorned his face. A thing Grell had never, before this moment, had seen of William.  
"Will..."  
"Quiet." William lowered his face to Grell's, his lips brushing against the other's gently as his arms fell around Grell's waist. Grell's fingers dug into William's shoulders, an overwhelming wave of shock flooding him, and Passion now urging him on to accept this and return it. She worked in both of their minds, pushing them into a closer embrace.  
Grell flung his arms around William's neck and fell into the affection freely. The two shared their first embrace, their first honesty to one another in the midst of the rising storm around them, utterly confined in their own world that could not be broken.  
'I forgive you.'


End file.
